NSF · US

Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

Deadline Rolling — no fixed date

Award Track 1: $100,000 to under $1.4M; Track 2: $1.4M to $4M; Track 3 (helium-reduction equipment): $100,000 to $4M (per archived NSF 23-519; may change)

Announced July 2, 2025

Materials Quantum Academic Industry

What this means for your lab

MRI pays for shared research instruments, so it can cover equipment such as a low-temperature STM/AFM, a UHV surface-analysis platform with XPS or ARPES, or a dilution refrigerator for milli-Kelvin transport measurements. Such instruments let a group image and spectroscopically probe surfaces and quantum materials at the atomic scale. Check the updated solicitation for the final tracks and dates before planning a proposal.

Who can apply

Institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific or engineering research organizations. No career-stage restriction. NSF skipped the FY2026 window and says the next submission window is October 15 to November 16, 2026. As of the last update of the MRI program page (September 17, 2026), the only solicitation listed is the archived NSF 23-519, and NSF says an updated solicitation is anticipated. Dates and award ranges may change when it is issued.

Read the official announcement ↗ Always confirm dates and eligibility against the agency’s own posting.